Bigger and better Pasifika takes flight

Merewalesi Nailatikau performs a traditional Fijian dance during the opening night of the Pasifika Festival. Photo / Greg Bowker

Pasifika Festival will be blazing this weekend, with hundreds of top Pacific talent taking to the stage.

Now in its 18th year, this year's festival kicked off with a slightly wet start last night as rain threatened to dampen proceedings at the official opening ceremony at Western Springs Park.

But visitors were promised a fiery festival, director Ole Maiava said, with dozens of top performers from all around the Pacific region and some of the country's leading musical acts taking to the stage tomorrow.

"It's going to be hot this year," Mr Maiava said.

"We've gone all out. We've expanded the event and [we're] building it into an international thing. It's definitely bigger and better."

Dozens of people, many armed with an umbrella, were at last night's opening ceremony.

Miss South Pacific Merewalesi Nailatikau graced the stage with a traditional Fijian dance and Maori, Tongan and Papua New Guinean performers also wowed the crowd.

Wayne Enos, from Hawaiian group Mana Maoli, said it was an honour to have been invited to New Zealand to perform at this year's Pasifika.

"We don't have this back home. We have separate festivals for the Hawaiians, Samoans, but not one big thing for all Pacific people. It's a beautiful thing."

Tomorrow is the main festival day and will feature food, entertainment and performances in "villages" throughout the park, of all the countries of the Pacific. Dawn Raid entertainment looks to draw in a larger youth crowd to this year's festival, as well as some of New Zealand's top musical acts including J Williams, King Kapisi, 4DG and well-known Pacific artist and favourite, Fiji.

Tomorrow's event starts at 10am and runs until 5pm, with a free park-and-ride service going from Unitec on Carrington Rd.